


Driver's Anxiety

by Adagal



Series: Between the Phases [2]
Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Comfort, Gen, Smoking, driving anxiety, phase four, phase three, that gap between the two phases, you get what i mean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-04-19 16:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19136179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adagal/pseuds/Adagal
Summary: It's 2D's birthday, and Noodle got her and the singer driving lessons! 2D doesn't really seem very enthusiastic about it, however, but why?Also DoYaThing won't be considered canon here, though some bits of it may sprinkle in. You'll see how in later chaptersEdit- ON HIATUS!





	1. The Surprise

_Happy Birthday, dear 2D..._

_Happy Birthday to you..._

2D licked his lips and blew out the candle on his cupcake. Vanilla with blueberry frosting, a time honored tradition. Everyone clapped as 2D took a large bite out of the frosting, getting a bunch of it smeared across his lips.

"Any wishes?" Russel asked. 2D nodded, grinning with his teeth stained as blue as his hair. 

"Ya gonna tell?" Murdoc asked. 2D shook his head, still smiling. Murdoc groaned and rolled his eyes. 

"Oh! I'm gonna get your present!" Noodle hopped up the stairs as 2D started eating the rest of the cupcake.

By the time Noodle came back, 2D had started eating the cupcake wrapper, much to the annoyance of his friends. Murdoc so badly wanted to smack 2D in the back of the head, but they'd made a truce pact for holidays and birthdays. And 2D's birthday was the biggest one to uphold that. 

"Close your eyes and pull it out," Noodle said, gesturing toward the bag she was holding. It was a large shopping bag that read "Thanks for shopping here! Make sure to reuse this bag!" 

2D did just that and felt around the inside of the bag. It seemed like some sort of clothing item was down there, a sweatshirt of some kind. Maybe it was that Human League sweatshirt he'd been not-so-casually showing the others for weeks now. 

Pulling it out, he saw it was not a sweatshirt, but a jacket. It was a zipper-up jacket of a faded yellow color with brownish-grey cuffs on the end, and it had the words "Sudden Impact Driving School" on the front, in big bold letters over a white background.

"Wait, why'd ya get me this?" the singer asked. Noodle responded with pulling out another jacket of the same kind and pulling it on herself. 

"I got us both driving lessons!" she cheered. 

2D choked on the cupcake wrapper. Russel had to give 2D a few knocks on the head to get the wrapper out. 

"WHAT?" 2D gasped. Noodle seemed oblivious to the singer's reaction.

"Well, I wanted to learn how to drive for a while, but of course that couldn't happen, and I was looking at a driving school nearby about a month ago when I realized, 'Hm, 2D doesn't have a license either, and he seems kinda uncomfortable whenever he's being driven somewhere. Maybe we could do this together! It would be a win-win!' That's when I texted you if you would want to drive yourself somewhere one day and you said, 'Eh, maybe. I don't really care.' So here we are!"

2D sat for a good two minutes, replaying Noodle's explanation in his head, over and over. 

"Well?" Noodle said. "You in?" 

"It'd be good to have another person be able to drive in the band. Two people that is," Russel tacked on. 

"I-I dunno," 2D stammered. "I think I'm ok with how I am right now." 

"D, you're 35. You wouldn't be in beginners like Noodle, I'm sure," Russel said. Noodle gasped dramatically, somewhat offended, but Russel didn't seem to care. "You did take Driver's Ed at one point in school, right?" 

2D slowly nodded, a nervous smile spreading across his face. "Yep, I sure did."

The others seemed somewhat skeptical but smiled regardless. 2D didn't seem the type of person to lie, and if he did, it would usually be because he didn't remember half of what he previously did. 

"Alrighty then," Noodle said. "First lesson starts tomorrow!" 

"Can't wait to see how you do," Murdoc grinned in his usual sadistic way.

"Go on, put on the jacket! I want to see if I got the right size!" Noodle smiled as 2D slipped the jacket on. It fit him perfectly. Noodle squealed and took a picture with the blue haired man. 

2D yawned. "Ya know what? I'm gonna take a nap. I've had a lot of fun today, thanks guys." 

2D rushed up to his room and sat down on his bed. In a few seconds, he started crying. He didn't want to learn how to drive, simple as that. But he didn't want to upset Noodle, she seemed so happy. As far as he knew, these lessons would be very interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter's so short! But it's an intro, so whaddya gonna do amirite? it does get better after this (I hope lol), so don't worry! ^^'


	2. Lesson One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter seems a little slow, I promise I'll try to pick it up a little more for future chapters ^^'  
> That being said, hope you enjoy this one!

"WAKE UP 2D! BIG DAY TODAY!" 

2D fell out of bed. Luckily, he picked the right night to sleep wearing a tank top and his boxers.

"Oh! Sorry about that." Noodle grabbed 2D's hands and pulled him up, helping him remain upright as they walked down to breakfast.

"Big day today," Russel greeted the duo. Noodle beamed. 2D looked sleep deprived as always. 

Russel gave each of them a plate of pancakes. Noodle was halfway through the first one even before she sat down, and 2D just poked at the stack in front of him with his fork. 

"Not eating today, D?" Russel asked the blue-haired boy. 2D shrugged his shoulders. 

"Not very hungry," he muttered. "Murdoc sleeping in?" 

Russel shook his head. "He's already out at a bar. We'll see how long it takes before I need to pick him up. Oh, speaking of, I'll take yall down to the school in a sec. Make sure you're ready though." 

2D nodded, his shoulders tensing up. _You'll be ok Stu, it's just a few hours, then you're done._

_A few minutes later..._

"Ready to go?" Russel asked. 

"Yep!" Noodle cheered. She and 2D were both wearing their yellow jackets. 2D looked a mixture of tired and ready to die. 

"Great!" Russel said. "Let's go then!" 

The whole ride there, 2D kept getting nervous fuzzies in his stomach. But he kept reassuring himself he'd be fine, it was only a few hours, and it won't be forever. 

_Besides, you're always complaining about how the others drive. This is your chance to show them up._ he thought. 

Meanwhile, Noodle and Russel kept chatting the whole way. Noodle definitely was excited to learn. Russel even promised to give Noodle some help that night in the nearby carpark. 

So now 2D was not just nervous, but also jealous that Noodle would be getting more help than him. But at the same time, he was also too tired to speak up about it. 

Within a few minutes, they had arrived at the Sudden Impact Driving School. 

"Have a good time guys!" Russel called out. "I'll be back here to pick yall up!" 

2D stepped out of the car, looking up at the large building in front of him. It looked just like his old high school, which helped ease his nerves a little. 

_Don't worry, it'll be just like high school Driver's Ed. You'll be fine._

Once they entered, they walked up to the registration desk, where a lady was sitting, filing papers. 

"Oh, hello there," the lady said. "Newbies, I see? What are your names?" 

"Stuart Pot and Noodle," 2D responded. 

The lady thumbed through a few papers until she found the files. "Ah, here we go. Stuart Pot, and Noodle. Stuart, you are to report to the eye exam room, and Noodle, you can go to the orientation room. Here's a map so you don't get lost. Have a nice day, you two!" 

"Well she seems nice," 2D said as they walked out of the registration. 

"See? The people here are nice. Don't be nervous, you'll do great!" Noodle reassured. "Oh, here's your room. See you later!" 

A door marked "Eye Exams" appeared in the hallway, which the singer stopped in front of as Noodle kept walking, staring at her map. 

After a few deep breaths, 2D opened the door to the waiting area, which only contained a few chairs and some magazines. He sat down and waited for what felt like half an hour until the eye doctor poked his head in. 

"Stuart Pot?" the doctor asked. 2D stood up. 

"Yep, that's me."

"Great! Right this way, please. I'm Dr. Matt." 

2D only had to follow Dr. Matt down a short corridor before they reached the doctor's office. Once there, he sat down in the exam chair as Dr. Matt went to his computer and started typing. 

"Stuart Harold Pot, born 23 of May 1978, correct?" he stated. 

"Yep, that's me," 2D said. 

The doctor nodded, smiling. "Alrighty then. Looks like you have a case of 8-ball fractures due to a few car accidents. That shouldn't be too much of an issue, let's just see how bad it may be. Please read the line you see in front of you, left eye closed." 

2D closed his left eye and read the line. "R, J, E, F, O, uh, G." 

Dr. Matt smiled. "Ok, now close the right eye and read the next line." 

2D switched eyes, closing his right, and read the line, having to squint a little. "T, uh, Y, F, Z, O, um, H." 

Matt nodded. "Mk, I'll be right back. Just wait here a second." 

The wait for Dr. Matt seemed like it took another 20 minutes, but he then returned once more, now with a sheet of paper. 

"Stuart, it seems you're near-sighted in both eyes, but that's normal for those with fractured eyes. However, that may affect how you drive. All you need to do is just wear some glasses for driving and you're good to go. Unless you already have glasses, of course. Contacts would work too." 

2D thought for a moment. "I think I may still have an old pair, but I've hardly used em since I got em." 

"Ok, well, make sure you find them and bring them to the school next time. We'll see how they work. You're free to go, I think you head to the pre-exam room now," Dr. Matt said. 

2D gave a thumbs-up and nodded. "Thanks a ton, doc."

It was only another short walk to get to the pre-exams room, which already contained a few people. 2D sat down in one of the chairs as more people filed in, all about his age, some older, some younger. Once the room was full, a lady walked in, presumably the teacher. She walked up to the desk in the front and grabbed a stack of papers, passing them out to everyone. 

"This is your pre-exam. I hope you do well on it," she said. 

When 2D got his paper, he looked it over. All the questions seemed pretty easy enough, though a few seemed pretty hard. However, he was now filled with that earlier foreboding sense he got during the ride to the school. If he didn't want to drive, he'd have to sabotage his test. 

Grabbing a pencil, he wrote "2D" on the first line. Realizing he wasn't signing an autograph, he quickly erased it and wrote "Stuart Pot" in its place. Even if he was sabotaging his exam, he wanted to make sure he got it back the right way. 

Afterwards, he started filling in the questions all willy-nilly. Most of them were multiple choice, so he just filled in random dots. When he was done, he sat and waited for everyone else to finish. 

After about half an hour, everyone finished and turned in their paper. 2D checked the time. 2 pm. School was over. He was free. 

"Tomorrow, you'll get your exam back and be placed in your proper class," the teacher said. "Have a good night!" 

2D rushed out of the school, the feeling bringing him back to his time in high school. He waited on the steps for Noodle, who came out looking pleased with herself. 

"How was today?" 2D asked. 

Noodle sighed. "The orientation film was kinda boring, and then we had to take a test on what we remembered. You?" 

"Found out I need to wear my glasses for driving now, and then I took a test too," 2D said. 

Noodle chuckled and put an arm across 2D's shoulders, to which the singer rolled off. 

"Russ should be here any second," Noodle said.

Literally three seconds after she said this, Russel pulled up with Murdoc in the back seat. 

"You can sit up front," Noodle whispered to 2D. "I'll handle the pickle." 

2D nodded, sitting in the seat next to Russel as Noodle shoved Murdoc over to sit down. 

"Hey! Watch yourself!" Murdoc shouted, sounding very drunk. 

"How much?" Noodle asked. 

"Too much," Russel replied. "How was the first day?"

"Boring for me," Noodle said. 

"I need to find my glasses for tomorrow," 2D added. "We both had to take tests also. So yeah, pretty boring stuff." 

Russel nodded. "At least you got through the first day. How's pizza sound for tonight?" 

Noodle jumped up in her seat, which jostled Murdoc around a little. "Ooo yes!"

2D leaned back and closed his eyes, letting the car's vibrations send him off. A nap is what he needed right now, hopefully, to take his mind off what may arrive for him tomorrow.


	3. Lesson Two

The next morning, 2D woke up at the wonderful crack of 5 am with a headache. Getting up, he stumbled over to his closet, where a bottle of ibuprofen sat on the top shelf. Just as he grabbed the bottle, there was a loud knock on the door. Heading downstairs and opening the door, he saw nobody there except for a glasses case on the ground. He picked it up and saw a post-it note that read, 

"Found your glasses. They were in Murdoc's room for some reason. I'll take you and Noodle again today. Good luck on the second day. From, Russel." 

2D opened the case and grimaced. He'd had this pair of glasses ever since he and Murdoc found Kong Studios, and even though he never wore them, he always found himself taking them wherever he went. Whether that meant at Kong, or on tour, to Plastic Beach, and now all the way to Wobble Street. 

The glasses in question were black, plastic frames, square in shape. They weren't bad at all, 2D just felt as though they wouldn't work with how people saw him, mostly his fans. Reluctantly, 2D took a deep breath and put the glasses on. 

2D turned on his lights and stared at himself in his bathroom mirror. In all honesty, he didn't look half bad. The black frames paired with the black-hole eyes, the long blue hair that Murdoc said made 2D look like a hippie, the singer looked pretty good. And he could see much better now too.

Not feeling tired anymore, despite the time, 2D got his clothes on and headed downstairs for breakfast. Within an hour or so, everyone was downstairs as well.

"You're up early," Noodle yawned. "I see you have your glasses."

"Tell me the truth. Do I look like a nerd?" 2D asked. 

Noodle shook her head. "You look smart, sophisticated if you will." She gestured toward the fridge. "Want anything?"

_Later..._

"Have a great day!" Russel called as he drove out of the carpark. Noodle gave him a wave. 2D just wiggled his fingers. He still felt weird with his glasses on. 

Walking into the building, 2D grabbed for Noodle's hand and squeezed it like yesterday. She looked down at their hands, looked at 2D, down at her jacket, back at 2D, then squeezed the singer's hand in return. 

Nearing a corridor, Noodle let go of 2D's hand and walked to the door quickly. "Here's my class. Good luck with yours." 

Walking back into his own room, 2D sat down at the same desk he did yesterday. After a few minutes, the teacher walked in. 

"Here's your exams back. Most of you did pretty well," she said. 

2D sat with bated breath, waiting for his exam to be given to him. When the teacher finally passed it back, he saw he actually got high marks. Only two questions he got legitimately wrong. 

In that moment, 2D lost all the feeling in his legs. How did he do so well? How did he try to get it wrong but got it right anyway, like in the cartoons? Was he really that dumb? 2D decided to leave that last question unanswered, for his own mental status' sake.

"I'll now be passing out the new rooms you will be reporting to," the teacher announced, passing out smaller slips of paper. Taking his, 2D studied the room number and tried to remember where on the map the room was. When class was finally dismissed, 2D practically speed-walked over to his new room.

Opening the new door, 2D took in the new sight of the classroom. This one was a little closer to the carpark where some of the students were outside practicing, and the room itself had driving simulation monitors at most of the tables. 2D sat down near one of the monitors and waited until everyone else came in.

Once the other students came in, the teacher arrived. He walked to the front of the room and looked at all the students. 

"Hello there. You can call me Luke. Since you all are here because you passed your pre-exams, that means I don't have to re-teach you everything!" 

A few of the students chuckled. 2D looked around, mostly relieved. 

"To get everyone back on their feet," Luke continued, "You'll be using these driving simulations. I expect each of you will do well on these. You may load it up and begin." 

2D gripped his steering wheel tight, loading up the simulation. Once it began, the car started moving along the road. 

_See 2D? It's not that bad. It's just a slow drive along the road. Just focus on where you're going, and you'll be fine. It's ok. It's ok._

A few turns later, and the car was moving onto a highway. 2D didn't seem to care, he was still focused on the road in front. Suddenly the car started speeding up, and 2D started getting nervous.

Walking by, Luke saw that 2D was breathing more heavily, and looked somewhat panicked. 

"Stuart?" he asked. But the blue-haired man didn't seem to listen. Luke walked up to 2D and tapped his shoulder. 

2D whipped around, shoulders back and tensed up. His face looked worried, like he was going to cry. 

"Stuart," Luke repeated, "You ok?" 

2D nodded, taking deep breaths and rubbing his arms. "Yeah, I'm alright." 

Luke seemed skeptical, but nodded anyway and moved on. 

2D sat back in his seat. The people next to him seemed to give concerned looks, but 2D didn't notice. He was too focused now on his breathing. After a few minutes, he was ready to try again, but the bell had rung once more. Class was over.

2D was shaking the whole time he walked down the steps. He felt like he'd need to lean on the railings to move his legs properly. Eventually, he sat on a step and waited for Noodle 

When Noodle left the building, she noticed that her friend was sitting on the bottom steps and was shaking. Was he crying? 

"2D?" she asked. 2D turned around, a little shocked. 

"Oh, hey Noodle. How was classes?" 

Noodle sat down next to 2D. "They were good I guess, we just had to do a few worksheets and watch a video. Nothing too special. You?" 

"We got our tests back." 

"How'd you do?" 

"Only two wrong." 

"D, that's great! Why're you upset?" 

"What d'ya mean?" 

"You're shaking." 

2D pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'm just kinda cold." 

"Hm," Noodle said. She looked out to the carpark, seeing if she could find Russel. "What else did you do? Oh, there's Russ. You can tell me as we head there." 

2D stood up. "I did a driving simulation." 

"And how was that?" 

"I did decent." 

2D yawned as he took his seat in the car, this time next to Noodle in the backseat. He leaned on the tightened seat belt and slept once more.

"Hey Russ?" Noodle asked, her voice in a low whisper. 

"Yeah?" Russel said. 

Noodle sighed. "D was acting kinda off after classes today. He was shaking when I saw him waiting for me on the steps. He said he was just cold, and I'm not saying I don't believe him, I'm just sorta worried about him." 

There was silence for a moment, then Russel spoke up. "D will be fine, I'm sure. He does stuff like this sometimes. We could always press him further if you want." 

"No, I don't want D to think I don't trust him." 

More silence. 

"We could always ask if 2D wants to learn a different way," Noodle suggested. 

Russel's ears perked up. When they arrived at their home, he turned to Noodle. "I think I might know a way."


	4. Hands-on Experience

_A day or so later..._

"Hey, 2D?" Russel asked. 

"Yeah, Russ?" 2D sighed. He laid on the couch, staring up at his book. He was wearing his glasses again today. 

"Since it's a Sunday, and you and Noodle don't have classes, would you want to learn how to drive a different way today?" 

2D put his book down and sat up. "What do you mean?" 

"I already did this with Noodle, so it may work with you too. What if we took a car around the block? So you could get some hands-on experience?" 

2D froze. He could feel his throat tightening up. But Russ seemed like he would enjoy helping 2D, so how could he say no? 

"Uh... sure, I guess," 2D replied. 

Russel detected a hint of shaking in 2D's voice. "We don't have to do it if you don't think you should." 

2D stood up. "No, it's fine. Let's do it." 

Russel nodded and led 2D outside to the garage. Once they got there, Russel gestured to the three cars they had. The red Audi they normally took places, a pickup truck that they hardly used, and Stylo, which hadn't been used since Murdoc and Cyborg Noodle used it as a sub to escape Plastic Beach. 

2D walked to Stylo. "Let's take this one. I'm used to it the most." 

Russel looked nervous and confused. "You sure? I wouldn't want Murdoc to- 

"Let's. Use. Stylo." 2D looked close to death-gripping the handle to the driver's seat. Russel shrugged and got in the passenger's seat. 

"You sure you don't want me to at least pull the car out?" Russel asked. 

2D sat for a moment, then got out of the car, gesturing for Russel to get in the driver's seat. 

After Russel pulled the car out, the two men switched places once more. 2D sat down in the driver's seat, shifted into drive, gripped the steering wheel, and pushed down on the gas pedal. Within seconds, they were off. 

"You're going kind of slow, D," Russel said. "You don't want to go any faster?" 

"No, I'm fine," 2D shuddered. He turned a corner and pushed down on the gas a little bit more, hopefully so Russel wouldn't make any more comments. 

Russel looked at the road, at 2D, then back at the road. "I have to say D, I'm impressed. You're doing really well." 

2D gave what seemed like a hint of a smile, but didn't speak. He was too focused on the road to say anything. Russel sat back. 

"Alright, I can get why you're focused. If it helps you, I'm all for it. If you keep this up, maybe we could try parking next time. Or highways if you're up to it." 

Suddenly, 2D pushed down hard on the gas and turned another corner. Russel leaned near the window. He felt like he was almost about to break it. 

"D! What are you doing?" Russel shouted. But 2D still didn't seem to listen. He was white-knuckling the wheel now and looked panicked. And the car was going really fast now. 

"2D, are you ok?" Russel was extremely worried, so he tried to put his hand on the steering wheel to help 2D with not crashing. Luckily, 2D still didn't seem to notice as he turned another corner, this time very sharply. Russel almost dislocated his arm when that happened, so he reluctantly took his hand off the wheel. 

"2D! Listen to me! You need to stop!" Russel kept calling out to 2D, but nothing seemed to be working. Stylo was nearing the house now, 2D had just gone around the block. 

Horrified, Russel tried calling out to 2D one last time, using a tactic he hardly used. "Stuart! Stuart Tusspot!" 

Blinking rapidly, 2D snapped back into reality hearing his old last name. Realizing what was happening, he smashed down on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel to the right, but it was too late. 

_CRASH!_

_WOOSH!_

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

The airbags activated as Stylo crashed into the light pole near their house. 2D looked up, traumatized. One of his glasses' lens was cracked, his chin was bruised, and his lip was bleeding. Russel's nose was bleeding, and he looked like he had a black eye, or maybe that was a bruise. Both men were heavily breathing, and the car alarm was going off. 

Murdoc and Noodle rushed outside, finding the wreckage that had occurred. Neighbors had also stepped outside as well, gazing upon what had happened. Was this a car accident? A suicide mission? 

"2D! Russel!" Noodle shouted. 

"Stylo! Russel!" Murdoc shouted at the same time. Noodle turned and gave Murdoc a look. 

"And Faceache, him too." 

Noodle rushed down to Russel's side, and Murdoc rushed to 2D's. Both of them pried open the car doors and helped their friends out. Noodle gave Russel a hug, and Murdoc lightly smacked 2D on the back of the head. 

That was 2D's breaking point. Knees buckling, he sobbed into his hands. Murdoc almost had to step back, due to feeling slightly disturbed from hearing his bandmate cry like that.

Russel slowly walked close to 2D's side. "D, I didn't mean to scare you like that. You gonna be alright?" 

2D only responded with louder sobs, falling to his knees. 

Quickly, Noodle pushed past Murdoc and knelt down. She reached over and helped the singer stand. Carefully, she and Russel both helped 2D into the house, Murdoc following behind. 

Once inside, Noodle led 2D to his room. Russel stayed behind with Murdoc, hoping to find something to stop his nosebleed. 

Pushing past a mound of dirty clothes and other items, she helped 2D sit down on his bed, and examined his wounds. Luckily, there wasn't a whole lot there. The glasses were easy, there was no other eye damage, so she just had to take them off and set them on his nightstand. The bruised chin she couldn't really do much for, so the only thing to worry about now was the bleeding lip. 

Noodle rushed into 2D's bathroom and grabbed a hand towel. After she soaked it with water, she rushed back to 2D and set the towel on his lip. 

"AH!" 2D cried. Noodle winced and pulled the towel back. 

"Sorry, forgot to warn you it might sting. Anything else you need?"

2D didn't answer, shuddering as Noodle slowly set the towel on his hurt lip once more. 

"Deep breaths, D," Noodle whispered. "Like me." 

Noodle set her free hand on her stomach and took a few deep breaths. When 2D didn't seem to follow, she took one of his hands and placed it over his stomach. 

"Like this. Now, take five seconds to breathe in, five seconds to hold it, and eight seconds to let it out. Ok?" 

And like she said, 2D took deep breaths, using the exact counts Noodle had given him. Five in, five to hold, eight to let out. After a few rounds of this, 2D was breathing normally again.

"Alright 2D, I'm just going to leave now and check on Russ and Muds. I hope you can get better soon, I'll grab an ice pack in case your lip still is bleeding," Noodle whispered, slowly walking out of 2D's room. 

Once she left, 2D laid down on his bed and started shaking, pulling his knees up to his chest. He started breathing heavily again, now paired with small coughing fits in between from crying earlier. He used one hand to keep the wet towel on his lip, and the other to hold his head between his knees. Then, he let out a loud yell.

Noodle promptly rushed in, ice pack in her hand. "D? You ok?" But her voice was drowned out by 2D's screams. 

Within seconds, Murdoc and Russel came up as well, Russel now with a tissue lodged up his left nostril. 

"What's going on?" Russel asked. But Noodle was too occupied with comforting the distressed singer. 

"Is the towel still stinging? Is it something else? 2D, please tell me. Please!" Noodle kept telling 2D to tell her something, anything that could help her understand. Murdoc walked up and led Noodle away from 2D's bedside by her shoulders. 

"Murdoc, what are you doing?" Noodle practically yelled, struggling to get back to her bandmate and friend. 

"It's best we just leave him alone to get himself together. When he's ready to talk, he can talk," Murdoc said. 

Noodle struggled in Murdoc's grasp a little bit more, but she eventually hung her head and walked away, Murdoc and Russel following, leaving 2D alone to his thoughts.

_I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, I had a lot of fun making this one. Hope you enjoyed it despite all the angst ^^'  
> And don't worry, there may or may not be more in the next chapter.  
> Also happy birthday me lol


	5. The Calm After the Storm

That night, 2D lay awake, shivering in his bed. What he'd done earlier that day kept replaying in his head. 

What could he do now? He just wrecked his bandmate's car, almost killed himself and his friend, and had a mental breakdown in front of the whole neighborhood. This might've topped some of the stuff that happened to him on Plastic Beach, but luckily not all of it. 

He checked his clock. 12:30 am. Since it seemed he wouldn't be getting any more sleep, 2D decided to just do what any other person would do when they're not tired at a little after midnight; wander around the house like a zombie and hope something will happen. 

Just in case someone else was up, 2D put on a pair of sweatpants and a white tank top. He was sure no one would want to see him just in his briefs. 

Once that was done, he headed downstairs to the living area first. Maybe he could find something good on TV, or do something there to take his mind off everything. 

Passing by the set of rooms to the next set of stairs, he could hear light strumming coming from Noodle's room. Walking over, he knocked lightly on the door. 

"Noodle?" 

A moment of silence, then, "Come in." 

2D walked in to find Noodle sitting on her bed cross-legged, tuning her acoustic guitar. She looked up and saw 2D. "Hey D, you feeling ok?" 

"Eh, I'm fine now," 2D chuckled. "Can I- 

Noodle scooted over on her bed and patted the spot next to her. 2D took the offer and sat down next to her.

For a few minutes, the two of them just sat in silence, the only real sounds being the nightlife outside the house, and Noodle tuning her guitar inside. Then, 2D spoke up. 

"Can I just... talk?" 

Noodle looked up from her guitar. "Yeah, sure. I'll be here listening." 

2D took a deep breath, then let it out. He was ready. 

"I want to explain... why I did that stuff yesterday. And why I didn't seem so happy about the driving lessons." 

Noodle set her guitar to the side and turned toward her friend. "Alright, shoot." 

"I... have quite the bout of anxiety when it comes to driving. My mom... had it too. One night, she was taking me and a friend somewhere, when, as she approached the highway, she jerked the car hard to the right and went into the lot of a car dealership. We all sat there for quite a while, she was breathing really heavily. My friend and I were, maybe, five or six so we didn't really understand what was going on. It wasn't until a few years later when I found out she had a panic attack from her sudden fear of highways.

"My mom stopped driving completely after that, so my dad usually took me places from then on while mum recovered. Eventually, she did start driving again, which I was glad for, but she couldn't do highways anymore. Surprisingly, that whole, experience, I guess, actually hit me pretty hard, and caused me to get anxiety. Hooray. So when Driver's Ed at school started up, I got really nervous." 

"So you didn't take Driver's Ed after all! You did lie!" Noodle said, trying not to point. "Then how did you pass the pre-exam?" 

2D shook his head. "No, I did actually take Driver's Ed, I didn't lie about that. The problem was I was a nervous wreck about it. When the time finally came to get on the road and practice with my dad, I almost crashed the car. He got pretty mad at me obviously. In the end, I only ever had a learner's permit. 

"And about the pre-exam, I may... or may not have... tried to sabotage it."

"What? All so you wouldn't have to learn how to drive anymore?" 

"Well, yeah, sorta. I didn't want you to feel hurt about me not wanting to take the lessons." 

"Oh, 2D." Noodle opened her arms, and 2D fell into her hug. They hugged it out for a bit, then 2D rolled his shoulders back, indicating he wanted to be let go. Noodle backed away and went to fiddling with the guitar strings. 

"And that's why you never drive?" she asked. 

"Yeah," 2D whispered. 

"So, now I know why, but, now I need to know, how did you freak out yesterday and crash the car?" 

"Russ might've mentioned me possibly practicing on highways while I was driving around the block, which sent me into a, I don't know how to explain this, hole I guess? Somewhere where I lose all connections with the outside world, and I can only see my inner thoughts and only feel the wheel in front of me. I didn't know what to do, I just kept pressing all my weight down, hoping something would happen. 

"Then Russel called me by my old last name, Tusspot, and it sent me out of my hole. I think he knew it would've worked because I was about to crash Stylo through the house by the time I returned to reality. I slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel, and the car went into the light pole instead. I'd fully come back to my senses by the time the airbags deployed."

There was a long pause after 2D's story. Noodle brushed her fingers across the guitar strings, not taking her eyes off the singer's gloomy expression. 

"It wasn't Russ' fault, so you don't have to think I'm mad at him," 2D added, staring down at his hands. "He didn't know. None of you did."

"We were all worried for you yesterday. We still are," Noodle sighed. 

"I know. You shouldn't be though. I'm ok now." 

"Why shouldn't we? We all care about you 2D, and you were really upset. Even Murdoc was kinda disturbed with how loud you were crying, I mean- 

Noodle was cut off with shaky breaths coming from 2D. Quickly, she put an arm on his shoulder and rubbed it. But 2D rolled his shoulder back a few times, indicating he didn't want to be touched at that moment. Noodle the signal and took her arm away.

Instead, Noodle brought out her guitar and tuned it a little bit more. When she finished, she set it on her lap and started strumming. In a few seconds, she was playing a song. 

_Up on Melancholy Hill, there's a plastic tree..._

_Are you here with me..._

_Just looking out on the day of another dream..._

2D leaned on Noodle's shoulder as she played. Noodle always was very good at guitar. And her singing, while rare, was wonderful as well. Eventually, 2D found himself humming along.

Noodle continued until she reached the end of the song. When she finished, 2D looked up and smiled. 

"You play really well," he said. 

"You just now notice?" Noodle gasped. The two of them laughed over that. 

"Your hair's gotten really long," Noodle said after a minute. 2D brushed a hand through his long, now light blue hair. He planned on cutting it after he left Guadalupe and the band reunited, but he never got to it. The only upside to this was he could put his hair in ponytails now, and Noodle loved braiding it when she could. 

"Do you think you could cut it for me?" 2D chuckled. 

Noodle actually looked surprised, but in a heartbeat, she had a towel, a brush, a mirror, and a pair of scissors at the ready. 

"How short?" she smiled an ear-to-ear grin. 2D smiled back as the towel was draped across his shoulders. 

About half an hour later, along with many questions, _"Do you like this?" "Too short? Too long?" "Are the bangs how you want them?" "You said mid-neck, correct?"_ 2D's haircut was complete. Noodle showed 2D in her mirror his hair. He brushed his bangs back a little and stared at his new hairstyle. He looked pretty good.

"You want to tell Russ and Murdoc tomorrow?" Noodle asked. 

"We'll see." 2D shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. "Most likely, but I'd want to be ready."

"I can get that."

Noodle yawned. 2D tapped on Noodle's shoulder and patted his own. Noodle took his offer and rested her head on his shoulder, settling herself perfectly in the crook in 2D's neck. 2D then rested his head upon hers, and they both fell asleep quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now you know his backstory yall, but the fun's not over just yet. And just for reference, his new hairstyle is basically the style he has in DoYaThing. Hope ya enjoyed ^^


	6. Let's Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick disclaimer, this will contain a nice scene with Murdoc and 2D, but like The Skating Incident (if you've read it), I ask of you to please not see it as 2Doc. It's not something I ship, so I hope you understand ^^'  
> Hopefully, this disclaimer made sense, thank you for reading this and enjoy the chapter ^^'

"Morning Noodle. Morning 2D. Ooo 2D, I like your haircut." Russel said as 2D and Noodle descended the stairs into the kitchen. 

"Morning Russ," the two of them said back, both sounding tired and monotone. 

"And thanks," 2D added. 

"I didn't see Muds come down, so he's probably still asleep. You both up for breakfast?"

2D shook his head while Noodle ran to the orange juice in the fridge. 

As Noodle was pouring a large glass, a whirring sound could be heard coming down the stairs. 2D looked up, and down came Murdoc in his new electric chair. He was banging on the armrests, trying to make the chair move faster. 

"Morning Murdoc," Noodle giggled, making sure the orange juice was filled completely to the brim. "The chair working well?" 

Murdoc got up and stumbled to the kitchen table. "Eh, still a few kinks to work out. Really enjoying it though." 

_Fitting, seeing as you're getting more senile by the day._ 2D thought to himself. Then he remembered what he wanted to do. 

"Hey, seeing as we're all here, I've got something I need to say." 

Everyone turned to the singer. 

"We're all ears, D," Russel said. 

2D took a deep breath. "I've got a few things to explain about the driving problem. You see..." 

_A few minutes later..._

"... so now you all know." 

Everyone, even Murdoc, even Noodle, who heard his story already, looked at 2D in shock. 

"I'm so sorry 2D," Russel said, his voice low. "I didn't think it would affect you that bad." 

2D shook his head. "No need to be sorry. It's not your fault Russ, you didn't know. I'm not mad or anything." 

"So... what do we do about the problem?" Noodle thought out loud. 

"I think therapy may be the best solution," Russel suggested. Everyone nodded. 

"Yeah, you're prolly right," 2D sighed. "I just wish I didn't have to be like this." 

"I don't either D, but it will be alright, just wait and see." Noodle walked up to 2D and rubbed his shoulder. 

"Thanks for telling us this," Russel said. 

Noodle looked up at the clock. "Oh crap, I need to get to my lessons. 2D, I'll let them know you won't be here today. Russel, can you take me?" 

Russel stood up. "Yeah, make sure you get ready. I'll get the car set." 

Russel headed out the front door, with Noodle close behind, attempting to put on her jacket. Which left 2D and Murdoc in the kitchen. 

Murdoc got up and grabbed a pack of cigarettes. He took one out and offered it to 2D. 2D stared at the small object in Murdoc's hand and chuckled as he took it. Murdoc took out another one for himself and lit it. He moved his lighter under 2D's cig and lit the singer's cigarette as well. 

2D took a small drag on his cigarette. Blowing out the smoke downwards, he wandered toward the front door. 

"Where you off to Faceache?" Murdoc groaned. But 2D didn't stop, walking out the door and sitting on the front steps, close to the sidewalk. 

2D leaned on the railing and rolled his cig between his teeth. Suddenly, he heard the door creak open and saw Murdoc walk out, sitting about two steps above the singer.

"So, about your whole story..." Murdoc started. 2D got prepared for the blow of words Murdoc may send his way. 

"I... get how you feel. About the whole driving and anxiety thing. The mental breakdown you had yesterday, I understood as well. I used to get those a lot, as a kid, a teen, and even a little bit now. Especially during the whole Plastic Beach fiasco, I won't lie about that. 

"But, if there's one thing I learned from that whole experience, it's that over time, you learn to put those anxious fits behind you, whether they be big, like crashing my Stylo or having a panic attack, or as small as a jumpscare of something you may have heard someone say to you, or something you might've seen but it turned out to be a joke. Cause sooner or later, you'll be able to look back on those moments and laugh. Sometimes, when I feel down, I just look back at something funny that happened to me, and I laugh. And ya know what? I feel better eventually. And you will too, D." 

It was at this point that Murdoc took a long drag off his cigarette. "I get why you wanted to come out here. It's nice and cool out here." 

"I'm surprised you aren't somewhat cold," 2D said, his voice a low tone. "It's a little chilly, and you don't have a shirt on." 

Murdoc flicked the ashes off his cig. "Eh, you get used to it. Besides, I have resilient skin." 

2D gave a hint of a smile, flicking his own ashes away. "Also, for the record, I didn't come out here because of the weather. I came out here so the smoke alarms wouldn't go crazy from all the, well, smoke."

Murdoc chuckled and shrugged. "Eh, alright then." He took one last drag, then smushed out his cig. 2D took a few more small ones before he smushed out his own as well. 

"Hey, Muds?' 

"Yeah?" 

2D turned to Muds and smiled. "Thanks." 

Murdoc turned away. "Don't expect more of it in the future, Faceache. And you still destroyed my Stylo, don't think I've forgotten that. You're lucky you weren't yourself at that point or I- never mind. But still." 

It was at this point that 2D got up and went back inside the house. Murdoc stayed outside for a while and lit another cigarette. 

A minute passed until Russel was back home. "Sorry I was late. Traffic was nasty."

2D made a small noise as he drummed his fingers on the kitchen table. He saw Russel head over to the nearby computer and start typing. 

"What ya doing on there?" 

"Finding a therapist for ya." 

"Oh. Ok." 

2D sat down at the table next to Russel, and the two of them scanned through quite a couple of therapists before finding one that suited 2D. Once the choice was made, they placed an appointment.

"It'll be good to get to talk it out," Russel said. "And sooner or later, you'll be back on your feet again." 

"I hope," 2D sighed. 

Russel stood up, the appointment made. "You sure you don't want breakfast?" 

"Nah, I'm holding out till lunch," 2D said. Russel shrugged his shoulders and walked upstairs. 

2D scooted over and saw the appointment date. It was for a week from today, which was a Tuesday. 2D took out his phone and set in the date. At least progress was being made.


	7. Let's Try This Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2D takes his next lesson after a few weeks of therapy have passed. How will he do?

2D woke up on the floor near his bed. Did he just roll off his bed without him knowing? Looks like it. 

Hearing a beep on his phone, 2D checked the calendar notification. Today was his first driving lesson after a while. Hopefully the bits of therapy he had were going to help.

"Sup," 2D yawned, walking downstairs and seeing everyone already in the kitchen.

Noodle was chowing down on a plate of eggs, her jacket already on and a cat barrette in her hair. Russel was pouring what seemed to be his second cup of coffee. And Murdoc was sneaking off to his own little room to host his radio show. 

After taking a few careful sips, Russel walked over to 2D and handed him a navy blue case. "Your glasses got fixed yesterday, so I thought I'd give them to ya." 

2D opened the case and found his glasses inside. Giving a small smile, he put them on. He could see even better than he did when he first wore them. He must've needed a new prescription.

"Ready to try again today?" Noodle asked, shoving a spoonful of eggs in her mouth. 

"As I'll ever be," 2D said.

"I've started up taking it on the road and I think I'm doing pretty well. My instructors have been saying so too!" 

"That's good to hear."

A few minutes passed, and 2D was heading back to the driving school. Noodle sat in the front with Russel this time, so 2D had the opportunity to stretch his long legs out in the backseat. 

Once they arrived, Noodle helped 2D out of the car and they headed inside the school. 2D was filled with the same sense of dread he had before, but he tried to overcome it by taking deep breaths, like he was told.

"Hey, don't worry D. You'll do great. I know it," Noodle reassured.

"Thanks," 2D mumbled. 

After a few minutes of walking, the duo stopped in front of 2D's next room. 

"Here we are. I'll see you in a few!" Noodle said, giving 2D a quick hug, then walking away shortly after. 

Taking in a deep breath, 2D opened the door and stepped into the room. It was the same room as last time, with the same set up. The driving simulation monitors were all up and looked ready to be used. A few students were already in the classroom, which 2D was happy for, as he wouldn't be alone once more, and he wasn't too early.

2D sat down next to a woman with red hair. He stared at the monitor in front of him, determination on his face. He would try hard to see that this simulation would not get the better of him.

A few more minutes passed until the teacher walked into the classroom. Surprisingly, it was the same teacher 2D had last time, Luke.

"Welcome," Luke stated. "I see we have some newcomers here, so allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Luke. You see in front of you some monitors with a driving simulation on it. This is what you'll be using to build up your skills. I expect each of you will do well on these. You may load it up and begin."

2D pushed his new glasses up his nose, placed his hands on the wheel, and allowed the car to set off. So far, so good.

As the car started speeding up, 2D could see a highway on the horizon. He could feel his anxiety approaching, but he tried not to let it take him over. His eyes darted around the approaching intersection, where he stopped the car. A few lanes more and he'd merge onto the highway. Or maybe he wouldn't have to. 

To the right of him, 2D noticed he could turn there and not have to drive on the highway. So that's exactly what he did. As he let the car continue, he could feel his anxiety levels dropping. He was ok.

2D could feel his hands relax, his chest relax, his whole body was relaxing. He was actually relaxing while driving. That was good.

This continued for a few more minutes until Luke stopped all the simulations. "You all did a wonderful job! You may head to your next class!" He suddenly dropped his voice a little. "Though I will need to see Stuart Pot for a moment." 

2D tensed up. Even as an adult, needing to see the teacher after class filled him with dread. Slowly, he got up from the table and walked to Luke's desk. "Everything alright Luke?" he asked. 

Luke nodded, smiling. "Of course Stuart, everything's fine. You aren't in trouble if that helps. I just wanted to ask you if you were doing alright. It has been a bit after all."

2D was slightly taken aback by Luke's words, in a good way of course, but nevertheless tried to stay calm. 

"Yeah, yeah, I've been alright. Been taking therapy and it's really helped I'd say. Just trying to stay off highways I think will do me some good for now." 

Luke nodded, clearly happy that 2D was ok.

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind then Stuart. All I can say is do your best. Now, your next room is 107, just down the hall here. I'm glad you're doing well Stuart, and I hope you do well in your next class. Good luck!" 

2D nodded, gave Luke a goodbye wave, and took his leave for his next class. Surprisingly, some of the students from Luke's class were here as well. Unfortunately, the class was pretty boring. Just watching the teacher lecture for a bit, taking a few notes, then a pop quiz at the end. A few of the questions were tough, but now, seeing as was doing a bit better, it was nothing 2D couldn't handle. And like the other classes, once this was over, school was over for the day. 

At the end of the day, 2D sat on the steps, waiting for Noodle like usual. When Noodle did come down, she seemed nervous. Her hands were shaking and her face was downcast. 2D stood up as Noodle came down to meet him.

"Hey Noodle. You ok? How was lessons?" he asked. Noodle opened her mouth, but no words came out. 

"I-I-I think I did not so great," Noodle finally stuttered. 

2D's face instantly looked like Noodle's upon hearing her words. He walked up and hugged her. "Wanna talk about it, love?" 

Noodle shook her head. "Not here. When we get home preferably." 

2D broke away from the hug and nodded understandably. "Wanna sit and wait for Russel then?" 

Noodle responded by sitting down next to 2D, resting her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for a while until Russel eventually pulled up to the school.

The whole way home, 2D saw Noodle staring out her window, her eyes looking glazed over. 2D felt nervous for his bandmate, he didn't even care to listen to Russel asking him and Noodle how their lessons went. So the car pretty much stayed quiet the whole time.

Once they did get home, Noodle took 2D up to her room. They then sat down on her bed, and Noodle started to explain.

"Well, I-I was driving with my instructor, like I have been, and he kept telling me I was doing a good job, which made me happy, but then we hit a few potholes, which I couldn't see. We actually managed to spin for a bit, but I managed to stop the car so no one got hurt, but I think I spooked my instructor pretty bad, and I'm really worried now. What if someone did get hurt? What if-"

Noodle's words were cut off with shaky sobs. 2D reached an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her back with the other. 

"It's alright Noodle. You were very lucky no one got hurt. It'll be ok. It was one mistake, and now you know how not to make it. Besides you were smart and brave enough to be able to stop the car. I could never have done that."

Noodle rolled her shoulders back a little. 2D got her signal and took his arms off her back. 

"You really think it'll be alright?" Noodle asked. 

2D chuckled. "I'll tell ya my new life motto, Noodle. It's this: 'It'll be alright in the end. And if it's not alright, it's not the end.' Of course I'm sure, love." 

Noodle laughed and wrapped the singer in a hug. "Thank you."

"No problem," 2D murmured. "Now why don't you get ready for bed?" 

"What about dinner?" 

"Oh, yeah. Not really hungry myself. You go on." 

2D could hear Noodle as she hopped down the stairs once she left her room. 2D then stood up, somewhat satisfied with himself, and walked up to his room. Today was a good day. Not a horrible one, but not a great one. And he was ok with that.


End file.
